With cold weather approaching, Sen. Dan Skogen, DFL-Hewitt, urged area families to take advantage of several options to help them cope with rising heating bills this winter.
"Experts predict that home heating bills will be 10 percent to 20 percent higher than last winter," Skogen said. "As families continue to face financial pressures from every direction, rising natural gas prices will squeeze already tight budgets. It is important that Minnesotans realize the options available to them and act quickly to take advantage."
Minnesota's Cold Weather Rule prevents utilities from disconnecting a household's main source of heat during the cold-weather months (October through April), as long as they establish a payment agreement and make the required payments. These payments, which cannot be greater than 10 percent of a low-income family's income, are established through negotiations between the utility and customer. The Cold Weather Rule, which applies to all natural gas and electric utilities, also requires utilities to reconnect customers if they were previously shut off once they enter into a payment agreement.
"Many folks believe that it is against the law for utility companies to shut off their heat during winter, even if they don't pay their bills," Skogen said. "This is simply not the case. In order to be protected by the Cold Weather Rule, homeowners need to contact their utility company at the first sign of trouble, agree to a fair payment plan, and make the required payments."
Skogen also encouraged families to contact local agencies to apply for heating assistance. Minnesota recently received $144.5 million from the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, nearly double last year's total. While these dollars will do a lot of good for struggling families, estimates indicate that even at this funding level, the program will only meet about half of the demand for financial assistance.
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Households with an income of less than 50 percent of the state's median income ($40,738 for a family of four) are eligible for assistance through the program. Grant awards, averaging $500 per family, are determined based on a household's size, income, fuel type, and energy usage. A list of local agencies is available on the Department of Commerce's Energy Information Center Web site by going to www.energy.mn.gov and clicking on "Heating Assistance" or calling (800) 657-3710.
"Families that may need financial help paying their home heating bills this winter should apply for this funding as soon as possible," Skogen said. "These dollars are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, and there simply is not enough to meet all the demand for help."
Families are also encouraged to do energy-conservation projects in order to decrease their heating bills. Weatherization-assistance funds are available from local agencies, and they can be used by low-income families for energy audits to evaluate their home's energy usage, exterior wall and attic insulation, safety inspections and assessments of furnaces and indoor air quality. Interested families should also contact their utility to learn what energy-conservation services they provide.
For more information, contact Skogen's office at (651) 296-5655 or sen.dan.skogen@senate.mn .
